Split releases are always a love-hate thing for me. On the love side, I’m always introduced to a new artist, such as Sam Humans in this case. Humans’ music is a modern style of biting folk rock, filled with wild guitar riffs. “Hate Is The New Love” begins this process with interesting, angular chords, which is heightened with eccentricities and improvised ferocity of “Firedrill”. This song takes the cake, pulling out all the experimental folk brilliance of artists like Royal City or the master Vic Chesnutt …

Magrane Hill is the project of two individuals, Travis Magrane and Adam Hill. These Bellingham artists blend Northwest folk with traits common to country. The group bases their sound around a sturdy acoustic guitar and drop in an accompanying keyboard, then front it with vocals not unfamiliar to the Washington town (Kasey Anderson, an artist that originated out of Bellingham before relocating to Portland). Together their songs weave tales common to the genres in which they dabble, from “Wyoming Blues” to “Devil in Red”. And they …

I’ve lived in the land of tulips for damn near two years now, tucked away comfortably in the Skagit Valley, hidden in the northern and western most part of the continental United States. Aside from the more known K Records artists that reside in the nearby Anacortes, I know very little truly local music, which is quite a shame. Enter Marc, a resident of this region and an old roommate from my Pullman grad school days. He recommended checking out Rooftops, a math-y rock band from the …

Bellingham by way of Chicago artist The Heligoats masters the power of pop songwriter sensibilities in their new album, Goodness Gracious (Greyday Records). The band is fronted by new Washington resident Chris Otepka, who wrote and recorded the band with Mike Mergenthaler, David James and Steven Mitchell. Collectively, they are The Heligoats, a band who blends folk and rock and pop for a sound that is familiar yet warm, somewhat contemporary but truly and honestly good.

In a man’s life, there is always one certainty that can confuse him, impress him, and make him cry for many reasons. Big Sur knows this to certainly be the female gender. Ladies. X Chromosomes. In other words – Women. God we sure do love them in all their complexity and beauty; they just exude happiness in the best of times. And what better topic for a country folk band of Bellingham gypsies to tackle?

Adam Hill‘s style of folk always donned the traditional styling so often seen as timeless within the centuries-long timeline the genre encompasses. Them Dirty Roads is, for the most part, no exception. But when the fiddles and acoustic guitar are removed, as found in opening track “Prelude”, something else happens — Hill produces a sound quite unorthodox, featuring a trumpet and static samples. As a prelude, the track works wonders to introduce Hill’s very clear-cut folk.